Fuzarka Festival Feminista – Latinamerica in focus – would like to
invite you all to an event that focuses on topics through art,
workshops, lectures and expressions to spark empowerment, conversations
and provoke the exchange of ideas and knowledge. The festival will take
place the first weekend of August, in Radical Queer Wagenplatz Kanal,
Berlin. The program will consist in workshops, concerts, exhibitions,
debates, films, zines/publications, food and party!!

With negotiations and actions – and with the help of your support – we managed to keep the projectspace in Kiefholzstr. 74. But we have to give away half of the ground to the city who will build a refugee camp there. For us this means that we have to move a big part of our infrastucture – including 14 living and community wagons, kitchen, verandas, material sheds, loads of wood for heating etc.
According to the city all this should be completed until end of november. That’s impossible!
But you can help us with this. Every friday we call for a communal working day, starting at 11 am. We contribute hot drinks, food and a long list of tasks – you hopefully bring drive and energy.
If you can not come yourself you can still support us with cheering up mails or lovely donations.

We, Radical Queer Wagenplatz Kanal, got invited to hold a speech at the annual alternative “X CSD” in Kreuzberg on June 25th 2016. Aware of the criticism around the event, we wanted to reclaim a stage that must belong specifically to BPoC queers.
On stage we were standing as queer/trans BPoC holding the speech when we got violently interrupted by a white cis man who threw an item on our stage and showed us his middle finger while we were talking about structural oppression and colonialism.

This first of all again proves that our “communities” are not free from misogynistic-racist violence. It proves that even if we reclaim a stage, we are not safe from “white crowd” repression, neither for our bodies nor for our words. Aside from a group of BPoC queer people who react and try to put the attackers out, what happened in the audience was that most of the white Germans in the crowd stood passively-aggressive or took actively the side of the perpetuators. This remind us the german history and society that always stood/stands side by side with structural fascism.

At exact point of talking about injustice and occupation, white cis men feel safe enough to attack queer BPoCs in Kreuzberg, in the audience and on the stage of “X CSD”. It is important to put these things on the table, especially in Germany. Surely its not just personal issues. It is about all BPoC queer people and the (queer) left scene. You can not speak about fighting racism and in the same time not give any shit to the colonialism, occupation and war, in which the white power is the rude actor of it.
This level of violence and lack of solidarity covered by “neutrality” by white Germans is dangers repeating of history. It is ironic what happened at the event is exactly what we were talking about in our speech. At last fortunately this person and his crew had to leave the event. We would also like to mention the solidarity we got from of the orga team and people around.

First of all we want to thank Berlin against Pinkwashing for their speech. We are in a 100 % Solidarity not only with Berlin against Pinkwashing but also with BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction). Now we want to call all the non-white people in front. We want to see your faces in the very front.

Today we are standing on this stage which was created to give marginalized people a space to express themselves and give an alternative to the mainstream commerical big CSD. We do want to acknowledge though that over the years this stage has been problematic and got a lot of critique by queer BPOCS who said that we sometimes didn’t see much difference between the big CSD and what was happening in Kreuzberg. It’s important to be aware what’s around you, who is standing there and who’s not. Just calling yourself anti-racist and alternative doesn’t make you that. As we see today many white people wearing piercings, clothes and hairstyles that is not their culture. Stopping cultural appropriation is radical anti-racist politics.
It’s important to not stop fighting and also not pretend the fight is over right now, right here.

We are from Radical Queer Wagenplatz Kanal. Kanal is not only our home, but also a political project, that is threatened with eviction right now. The senate of Berlin wants to replace US with a MUF (Modularen Unterkünften für Flüchtlinge) the new go-to word for racist inhumane refugee camps.
This MUF will concentrate a mass number of refugees in a state controlled camp which is the opposite of what we are trying to build as a self-organized space.
The senate proposed us a suggestion that was unacceptable, because it meant basically eviction. It is not new that state politics try to use the refugee topic for white washing their racist and selective policies, specially in the categories of “safe country of origin” (sicherer Herkunftsstaat), Dublin III Regulation and contingent refugees (Aufnahmekontingent). With these laws, the government is clearly just interested in a 2way solution of either deportation or integration. The reason for this is profit, affectively creating property privatization through the building of refugee camps. These are plans they not only have for our space but also with spaces that are threatened by eviction or already have been evicted. Therefore our fight means also to stay in solidarity with all the spaces like Oranienplatz, Ohlauer School, Cuvry-Brache, Rigaer 94, M99, Friedel 54 etc. As it is not a private matter, it is about all of us!
It is important to mention how fascistic ideas are rooted especially in the german society, and the people are not longer afraid to hide them anymore. As we can see it with so called movements like Pediga, or the AfD, that has even established their politics on a parliamentary level. Their popularity and and percentages are rising dangerously. It is important because it is the example of how history is repeating itself again not only in Germany but also all across Europe.
To be aware of history does not mean we should forget what is happening now, as most of the not-white people are facing anti-muslim racism and displacement.
The government is talking about a so called “refugee crisis”, but they are not the problem. The problems are the occupation of palestine, massacre in Kurdistan, and many uncountable massacres and wars in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Central and South america, the tightening of the asylum law and the borders. They are all connected to this racist gentrification politic. Self-organized structures who are standing against are not welcomed.
To be queer and radical means also to call the problem by its name, to call out pinkwashing, homonationalism and settlers colonialism and fight against it. Kanal is a queer space with a majority of refugees, migrants, black people, rrom_nja and people of color. We are trying to live self-determined, based on the uncompromising fight against any kind of structural and social oppression such as racism, classism, misogeny, sexism, inter*trans*homo discrimination and state nationalism.
We, people from Radical Queer wagon place KANAL want to build a possibility to empower specially marginalized people to reclaim the power, connect, mobilize and organize for political struggle. We want to keep fighting for our future with all people who are convinced by our political ideas, and as such we call out everyone to get involved in supporting Kanal to show the strength of our community. don’t be shy, specially if you are a queer of color. pass by, to drink a chai or just hang out. let start to continue to build our community strong. We will reclaim the power.
Against lagers!
Against eviction!
Against deportation!
KANAL BLEIBT!

Radical Queer Wagenplatz Kanal and International Women*’s Space are
planning a multidisciplinary festival in august!
Therefore we would like to invite you to the weekly orga meeting, in order
to talk about details.Here you can find the call out for more information about the festival
itself.
Where: Kiefholzstr.74,12057 Berlin
When: mondays at 5:30pm